2014fwc_tsg_report_15082014_neutral

Confederation analysis 83
The qualification for the round of 16 of
both Nigeria and Algeria, coupled with the
good performances of Côte d’Ivoire and at
least some glimpses of promise from Ghana,
will have given the continent hope of an
even better future. Consistent development
work and the introduction of a continental
coaching licence are certainly steps in the right
direction.
North, Central America and the
Caribbean
their excellent performance in South Africa
four years ago, many African hopes rested on
Ghana’s shoulders. In their opening match,
some lapses in concentration at key moments
saw them slip to a disappointing defeat at
the hands of the USA before they put in their
best performance of the tournament to hold
Germany to a 2-2 draw, a game in which all
of the Ghanaians’ positive attributes came
to the fore, namely their joyful style of play,
their technique, their commitment and their
athleticism. Their chances of progressing were
slim, however, and defeat by Portugal saw
them eliminated. Cameroon were drawn into
a very strong group with Brazil, Mexico and
Croatia, and although they only lost 1-0 to the
Mexicans in their opening match, the Africans
were seldom in the game. Subsequent 4-0 and
4-1 defeats to Croatia and Brazil respectively
ended the Cameroonians’ disappointing
World Cup campaign.
In stark contrast to South Africa 2010, all of
the African teams kept faith with the coaches
who had guided them through the qualifiers,
decisions for which they were rewarded.
Three CONCACAF teams qualified for the
second stage for the first time in World
Cup history. In their opening match against
Uruguay, Costa Rica fell behind to an early
penalty but they bounced back impressively
with two goals in three minutes to set
themselves up for victory. They followed that
up with an excellent tactical performance in
a 1-0 win over Italy to seal their place in the
next round before their goalless draw with
England in their last group match. Los Ticos
lost a man to a red card after an hour of their
round-of-16 clash with Greece, but the two
teams were still locked together at 1-1 after
120 minutes. The resulting penalty shootout
saw the Central Americans hold their
nerve, with goalkeeper Navas particularly
impressive. A similar scenario played itself
out in their goalless quarter-final meeting
with the Dutch, only this time there was to
be no happy ending for the Costa Ricans as
the eventual bronze medallists came out
on top in the battle from the spot. After
limping through the qualifiers, Mexico
cruised through the group stage on the back
of victories over Cameroon and Croatia,
and a draw with Brazil. Everything looked
rosy in their round-of-16 game against the
Netherlands too thanks to a goal shortly
after half-time, only for the Dutch to equalise
in the dying stages before claiming victory
with a penalty in injury time. The USA found
themselves in a group with Germany, Portugal
and Ghana, and they got off to a dream start
by seeing off the Africans with a late goal.
There was a sting in the tail in their match
with Portugal, however, as the Europeans
levelled in the fifth minute of injury time.
Although they lost their last group match to
Germany, the Americans still qualified for the